2 Lakh Fake Bottles, Crores at Stake: How Janardhan Rao Built a Brandy Racket

Fresh details have emerged in the fake liquor case involving counterfeit bottles of Old Admiral Brandy. Excise and SIT officials say the alleged mastermind, Addepalli Janardhan Rao, used deceptive methods to manufacture and transport fake bottles across Andhra Pradesh.
Investigators revealed that Janardhan Rao convinced a Coimbatore-based supplier, Senthil, that he owned a licensed liquor manufacturing company with valid approval from the Andhra Pradesh Beverages Corporation. To gain trust, he shared a GST number linked to another accused, Srinivasa Reddy. After verifying that the GST number was active, Senthil arranged the supply of nearly two lakh empty Old Admiral Brandy bottles to warehouses in Mulakalacheruvu in Annamayya district and Ibrahimpatnam in NTR district.
Payments were routed through UPI transfers using an associate named Ravi. Officials traced ₹4.79 lakh transferred in phases from an IDFC Bank account between June and September last year.
The remand report states that Janardhan Rao entered the liquor business in 2012 and later shifted to illegal operations after financial setbacks. He allegedly set up fake manufacturing units in Hyderabad and Ibrahimpatnam and produced counterfeit liquor under popular brand names such as Old Admiral, Manjeera Whisky and Classic Blue.
Authorities say the racket expanded in 2023 with the involvement of suppliers from multiple cities. Operations briefly slowed during the 2024 elections due to increased surveillance but resumed in 2025. Excise officials have identified Janardhan Rao as the central figure behind the fake liquor network in Ibrahimpatnam and Mulakalacheruvu.
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